Critics Say TEN GRAND is Worth Every Penny

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Kat Salazar

The first story arc in a series about a man who would move Heaven and Hell to see his wife again

In Joe Fitzgerald’s world, mobsters are nothing compared to demons. In TEN GRAND, VOL. 1, created by J. Michael Straczynski (SIDEKICK, PROTECTORS, INC.), Ben Templesmith (FELL, 30 Days of Night) and CP Smith (Wolverine, Jonah Hex), a former mob enforcer, Joe, dabbles in demonology and soon finds himself caught in the middle of a struggle between the forces of light and dark with the fate of the world resting on his shoulders.

A twist on the classic Miltonian tale of Heaven and Hell at war with one another, TEN GRAND, VOL. 1 collects issues 1-6 of the series and provides fans with the first story arc just in time to jump in on the second half of the adventure starting with issue #7 in January.

Praise for TEN GRAND:
"I feel like this is a comic that I'm into for the long haul. Ten Grand is definitely one of the big debuts for 2013.” --Greg McElhatton, Comic Book Resources

“This book is something unusual, but in a good way. If you separated the art from the writing you probably wouldn't think they go together at all, but after reading through the first issue I don't think you could've found a more perfect match.” --J.R. Johnson, IGN

“Straczynski and Templesmith have proven to be a perfect match for a series like this one, and readers should expect great things from the upcoming installments.” --Shadow Jayd, Bloody Disgusting

“The series calls to mind Constantine and Dante and every great revenge story I've ever encountered. Ten Grand is mysterious and familiar at the same time, and the beautifully painted pages charge the narrative with emotion. I'm anxious to see where the story takes us.” --Jen 'MissJ' Aprahamian, Comic Vine

Allison Carter is the latest in her family’s long line of paranormal investigators specializing in preventing the end of the world. Her grandfather and umpteenth-great-grandfathers probably never anticipated her father having only a daughter, but Al employs the same Carter wit, smarts, and deadly accuracy as her male predecessors—and then some. With an attitude of "shoot first and to Hell with the questions," she leads a life that would drive other investigators mad, filled with monsters, demons, trolls, mad prophets, zombie detectives, techno-wizards, machinegun toting imps, and undead boyfriends.

For three years, flying, nigh-invulnerable teenager Barry Chase was Flyboy, sidekick to the imagination-impaired but crime-fighting master The Red Cowl, and all was well, though Flyboy was the butt of a lot of jokes. Together, The Red Cowl and Flyboy brought peace to Sol City, fighting for truth, justice and some third goal that the Red Cowl could never quite put his finger on but was sure he’d figure out in time. But then the Red Cowl was defeated and killed — some say by the villain Terraform, others by one of the Moonglow sisters — and Flyboy was left on his own. It is at this point that the first volume of SIDEKICK, a new graphic novel written by J. Michael Straczynski, begins.